The Perfect Predator -- Bacterial Phages and The Story of a Medical Miracle, Dr. Stephanie Strathdee and Dr. Thomas Patterson present their real life struggle of Dr. Strathdee to save her husband, Dr. Patterson's life from a totally antibiotic resistant bacteria, acinetobacter baumannii. Her search discovered a 100 year old therapy, bacterial viruses or phages. With the help of the Naval Research Department, Texas A & M, University of California at San Diego the treatment was given to her husband who was on the brink of death. And it worked, placing bacterial phages at the forefront of medical research to stop the epidemic of drug resistant bacteria. Now a best selling book "The Perfect Predator" , Jack MotherJones: https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/05/the-best-viral-news-youll-ever-read-antibiotic-resistance-phage-therapy-bacteriophage-virus/
CDC Relesases Report on Antibiotic Usage in the United States/span>At least 30% of antibiotic perscriptions are unnecessary.   https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/stewardship-report/pdf/stewardship-report-2018-508.pdf
HW USA Meeting YouTube Video:  https://youtu.be/hTjaG0pi1XM Pattie Show Aug. 9, 2019.  Video URL:https://youtu.be/CRHiYDKkFcQ Why Are These Medical Instruments So Tough to Sterilize? NYT: "Duodenoscopes have sickened hundreds of patients in hospital outbreaks. Now some experts are demanding the devices be redesigned or taken off the market."  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/health/duodenoscopes-infections-hospitals-antibiotics.html
Resistant Klebsiella and E. coli widespread across Southeast Asia; Global measles cases have tripled since last year; Antibiotic use increases odds of rheumatoid arthritis. CDDEP:  https://cddep.org/blog/posts/weekly-digest-august-19-2019/
The Fundamental Link Between Body Weight and the Immune System The Atlantic: "The relationship between microbes and weight gain has long been overlooked in humans, but people have known about similar effects in animals for decades. After World War II, antibiotics became affordable and abundant for the first time. Farmers began giving the drugs to their livestock—for example, to treat a milk cow’s infected udder—and noticed that animals who got antibiotics grew larger and more quickly." https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/08/inflammations-immune-system-obesity-microbiome/595384/
Healthcare Finances
Soaring cost of insulin 'nothing short of premeditated murder'  Kentucky Today:  "Despite having insurance through her employer, “The cost of my insulin went from $35 a month to over $400 a month,” she told the panel. “I could have a roof over my head, or I could pay for insulin. I could keep my lights on, or I could pay for my insulin. The stigma that goes along with being a Type 2 diabetic makes even talking about it difficult.”" http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/soaring-cost-of-insulin-in-kentucky-topic-of-concern,21152#.XV_WU7FApCo.email
A Mexican Hospital, an American Surgeon, and a $5,000 Check (Yes, a Check) NYT: "A novel twist on medical tourism to avoid the high cost of U.S. health care saves an employer money and even earns the patient a bonus.... The hospital costs of the American medical system are so high that it made financial sense for both a highly trained orthopedist from Milwaukee and a patient from Mississippi to leave the country and meet at an upscale private Mexican hospital for the surgery."  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/09/business/medical-tourism-mexico.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Assessment of Out-of-Network Billing for Privately Insured Patients Receiving Care in In-Network HospitalsJAMA:  "In this analysis of 5 457 981 inpatient admissions and 13 579 006 emergency department admissions between 2010 and 2016 in a large national sample of privately insured patients, the incidence of out-of-network billing increased from 32.3% to 42.8% of emergency department visits, and the mean potential liability to patients increased from $220 to $628. For inpatient admissions, the incidence of out-of-network billing increased from 26.3% to 42.0%, and the mean potential liability to patients increased from $804 to $2040.0." https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2740802 Surprise bills surge in ER, inpatient settings, JAMA finds --- Healthcare Dive:  "The percentage of emergency department visits resulting in a surprise bill jumped from 32.3% in 2010 to 42.8% in 2016 while the increase for inpatient admissions went from 26.3% to 42%. The cost of the bill in both categories nearly doubled in that time period, with the top 10% of ED visits resulting in a bill of more than $1,000, and the top 10% of inpatient visits costing more than $3,000." https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/surprise-bills-surge-in-er-inpatient-settings-jama-finds/560650/
Healthcare Quality
Johnson & Johnson is responsible for fueling Oklahoma’s opioid crisis, judge rules in landmark case WP:  "NORMAN, Okla.— A judge Monday found Johnson & Johnson responsible for fueling Oklahoma’s opioid crisis, ordering the health care company to pay $572 million to remedy the devastation wrought by the epidemic on the state and its residents.  Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman’s landmark decision is the first to hold a drugmaker culpable for the fallout of years of liberal opioid dispensing that began in the late 199os, sparking a nationwide epidemic of overdose deaths and addiction. More than 400,000 people have died of overdoses from painkillers, heroin and illegal fentanyl since 1999." https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/johnson-and-johnson-is-responsible-for-fueling-oklahomas-opioid-crisis-judge-rules-in-landmark-case/2019/08/26/ed7bc6dc-c7fe-11e9-a4f3-c081a126de70_story.html
Federal scientists warned of coming opioid crisis in 2006  https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/21/federal-scientists-opioid-crisis-1673694
The Patient Record Scorecard = How easy is if for patients to obtain their medical records?  A deep analysis showing how medical record providers comply with the HIPAA Right of Access based on patient requests. https://www.ciitizen.com/scorecards/    Patients Still Battling Providers for Medical RecordsMedPageToday: "Nearly three-fourths of requests required nudging or escalation to be HIPAA compliant." https://www.medpagetoday.com/hospitalbasedmedicine/generalhospitalpractice/81668